Which Two Superheroes Are Joining the ‘Avengers 2′ Lineup? We Have the Answer!

Earlier this week, 'Avengers 2' director Joss Whedon hinted that in the upcoming sequel "there will definitely be some people that will shake [The Avengers] up." So just who are these new additions to the 'Avengers' movie? We've confirmed the identities of two Marvel superheroes who will be joining Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow on their next adventure!

Previously Joss Whedon hinted that he was adding a brother/sister dynamic to 'Avengers 2' but wouldn't say much beyond that. Was he joking? In the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly (with a cover story on 'Iron Man 3'), a source confirms that Whedon wasn't joking and that the two new team members in 'Avengers 2' will be Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) and her twin brother Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff)!

Now here's where things get interesting: both Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch both originated are part of the 'X-Men' universe. The Maximoff twins are actually the children of Magneto and first appeared in 1964's "X-Men #4" as part of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Later, as Magneto is abducted, the twins feel the debt to their father has been repaid and they disband the Brotherhood and are recruited by Iron Man to join The Avengers in "The Avengers #15" (1965).

Scarlet Witch is a mutant with the power to "manipulate probability" via hexes (though later redesigns of the character explained that she was actually rewriting reality and creating multiple ripples throughout the timeline). Quicksilver has the ability to move and think at lightning quick speeds. He, however, loses his powers when Scarlet Witch does her "reality shifting" thing.

(Another interesting wrinkle: Scarlet Witch is married to Vision, a character oft-rumored to also be joining 'Avengers 2.')

So how does Marvel have the rights to use an X-Men characters in 'Avengers 2?' Explains Kevin Feige, "It’s a little complicated; If [Fox] wants to use them in an X-Men movie they could, if we want to use them in an Avengers movie we could." (Part of this movie could be Marvel wanting to beat Fox to the punch and own the rights to these characters.)

Does this mean anything toward an eventual 'X-Men' / 'Avengers' crossover with 'Avengers 2' now hinting that both movies take place in the same universe? Not very likely in the near future considering the complex web of rights issues but Marvel has always spoken about the desire to bring the characters back together eventually and perhaps this is a very small step in that direction.